Inflammatory Biomarkers Differ among Hospitalized Veterans Infected with Alpha, Delta, and Omicron Sars-CoV-2 Variants

Bibliographic Data

ID15463539
AuthorsCatherine Park (0000-0002-6137-5098, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center), Shahriar Tavakoli–Tabasi (Baylor College of Medicine), Shahriar Tavakoli-Tabasi (Baylor College of Medicine), Amir Sharafkhaneh (0000-0002-7893-2946, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, corresponding author), Benjamin Seligman (0000-0002-8223-5924, University of California, Los Angeles), Benjamin J Seligman (University of California, Los Angeles), Bret Hicken (0000-0002-1000-8773, George E. Wahlen Department of VA Medical Center), Christopher I Amos (0000-0002-8540-7023, Baylor College of Medicine), Andrew Chou (0000-0002-2520-6959, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center), Javad Razjouyan (0000-0003-1157-159X, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center)
Year2023
Volume20
Issue4
Pages2987-2987
Publication date2023-02-08
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/ijerph20042987
PMID36833680
OpenAlexW4319761808
LanguageEN
References cited30

Mortality due to COVID-19 has been correlated with laboratory markers of inflammation, such as C-reactive protein (CRP). The lower mortality during Omicron variant infections could be explained by variant-specific immune responses or host factors, such as vaccination status. We hypothesized that infections due to Omicron variant cause less inflammation compared to Alpha and Delta, correlating with lower mortality. This was a retrospective cohort study of veterans hospitalized for COVID-19 at the Veterans Health Administration. We compared inflammatory markers among patients hospitalized during Omicron infection with those of Alpha and Delta. We reported the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of the first laboratory results during hospitalization and in-hospital mortality, stratified by vaccination status. Of 2,075,564 Veterans tested for COVID-19, 29,075 Veterans met the criteria: Alpha (45.1%), Delta (23.9%), Omicron (31.0%). Odds of abnormal CRP in Delta (aOR = 1.85, 95% CI:1.64-2.09) and Alpha (aOR = 1.94, 95% CI:1.75-2.15) were significantly higher compared to Omicron. The same trend was observed for Ferritin, Alanine aminotransferase, Aspartate aminotransferase, Lactate dehydrogenase, and Albumin. The mortality in Delta (aOR = 1.92, 95% CI:1.73-2.12) and Alpha (aOR = 1.68, 95% CI:1.47-1.91) were higher than Omicron. The results remained significant after stratifying the outcomes based on vaccination status. Veterans infected with Omicron showed milder inflammatory responses and lower mortality than other variants

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Disease · Odds ratio · Vaccination · COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies · Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 · Medicine · SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research · Gastroenterology · Immunology · Internal Medicine